Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Adult male Little Crake (Porzana parva) at Vilamoura-reedbeds, late March 2012. Photo by Michael T. Fisher (many thanks for sharing! You can visit Michael's blog here: RoadrunnersMikeLinda). Note the red at the bill base. What a photo of this rare and difficult species! Michael also saw a female nearby at the same location that day.

Western Bonelli's Warbler (Phylloscopus bonelli) at Quinta do Lago (Loulé) on the 27th of March 2012. Foto: Michael.T.Fisher

(Note the light green rump and -wing-panel, the silky white body, a continuous white eye-ring and a rather faint eye-stripe and supercilium. They appear tiny and short and move very nervous all the time, flicking the wings, resembling pretty much a Gold- or Firecrest, rather than a typical Phylloscopus-Warbler, like Willow Warbler or Chiffchaff, calls and song, also on migration, often reveal presence)

The species is normally a scarce spring migrant here, but in the second half of March we had around 10 days of continuous, strong easterly winds, that brought us more spring migrants than in average years - Passerines, in particular. Birding has been really great, birds like Subalpine Warblers (Sylvia cantillans), Common Redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus), Black-eared Wheatears (Oenanthe hispanica), Short-toed Larks (Calandrella brachydactyla) could be found all along the coast. I had Bonelli's Warbler in an Cork Oak Tree in front of my house (Faro) as well as in the very last (or first) scrub at the lighthouse of Cape St. Vincent, at Quinta do Lago, in Vilamoura etc.Near the cape of Sagres, about two dozen Woodchat Shrikes (Lanius senator) on the 30th of March, were typical for a good day in September or October rather than a day in spring. An adult Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) was hiding in a small Pine patch just outside Sagres, were it had to spend the day since it must have been unable to move on in the previous, very rainy and stormy night. An adult male Western Orphean Warbler (Sylvia hortensis) and a first Melodious Warbler (Hippolais polyglotta) showed up perched in an Agave americana-flower during a coffee break just in front of the terrace of the Restaurant S.Vincent, near the cape.We also got good observations of the local breeding Spectacled Warblers (Sylvia conspicillata), Tawny Pipits (Anthus campestris)and five territorial male Little Bustards (Tetrax tetrax)among others. The resident Red-billed Choughs (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax) performed display flights above our heads. At least three Alpine Accentors (Prunella collaris) gave close views near the lighthouse.

Rarities recorded in that time included a Baillon's Crake (Porzana pusilla) on 24-03-12 (V. Fagerström) and at least one (possible two) Little Crakes (Porzana parva) from the 24-03-12 onwards for the following week, all at the Lake at the São Lourenço Golf course (various observers). On the 27-03-12, J.T. Tavares observed and photographed an adult male Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) near the same observatory, a species without any confirmed records for the country until autumn 2011 and about five or six (!) birds reported since then, reflecting the increasing numbers of sightings in other European countries recently. (For more recent records of rarities in Portugal consult this blog by Gonçalo Elias: Raridades).

I have been busy guiding several groups and various private parties in all Algarve as well as in parts of the southern interior over the past weeks. Now it is time to pencil in some of the records made lately.